Jorge Lorenzo was one of Valentino’s biggest rivals: el pentacampeon, as he liked to call himself in the last years of his career, he managed to beat riders of the caliber of Stoner, Marquez, Pedrosa, Rossi himself over the years. With a dark character, very fast on an open course, he raced from the early 2000s to 2019.
The beginning
Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero was born in Palma de Mallorca on May 4, 1987. It is not exactly the country of motorcycles, but his father put him on a motorbike at the age of 4. In a short time the child showed what he could do: with minibikes he won several championships in the Balearic Islands, meanwhile the training sessions in the family became more and more intense, so much so that Jorge would later talk about a difficult relationship with his father. Successes and dedication grew hand in hand: winning the Aprilia Cup in 1998 and 1999, the last championship riding a 125cc.
The debut at the world championship
After a few participations in the European Championship, the debut in the World Championship comes. It is 2002 and Jorge is only 15 years old, so he has to wait until the third race of the season, in Jerez, to reach the minimum age required to race. The debut takes place on Saturday, on his birthday, and Lorenzo already sets a small record by becoming the youngest rookie ever in the World Championship. Jorge races for three seasons in the eighth liter with Derbi and achieves as many successes.
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In 250 with the Derbi-Aprilia Lorenzo is immediately very fast
In 2005 he moved to 250, with the Fortuna Honda team, but it was the 2006-07 seasons that established him at the highest level. Jorge was hired by Aprilia and the operations were headed by engineer Gigi Dall’Igna. His helmet, sponsored by Chupa Chupa, looked like a big lollipop, but Lorenzo was no longer a child. His approach to the race was mature, his riding style was aggressive and he became Por fuera: his overtaking on the outside became famous, his duels with Andrea Dovizioso made the championship exciting. Lorenzo became champion with 8 wins, at 17 years old, and the following year he repeated his victory in the world championship with 9 wins and many pole positions: an elusive rider when he started ahead of everyone, a character trait that he would maintain over the years.
In Yamaha with Rossi
In 2008 he switched to MotoGP, none other than the official Yamaha team. After years in which Rossi always had not too difficult second guides at his side, it was time for the Japanese to try more. Lorenzo did not disappoint expectations: three pole positions and three podiums with a victory in the first three races of the championship, he even took the lead in the world championship. However, the magic moment ended there: Rossi won the next three races and confirmed his leadership, while Lorenzo suffered a broken right ankle and a damaged ligament in his left ankle. The rest of the season was not memorable, but Jorge still managed to finish fourth in the championship. In 2009 the battle with Rossi became tough: a “wall” appeared in the garage, it was unclear who was spying on whom, but neither of them wanted to show their data or let the other hear the discussions with their technicians. In Barcelona, a memorable duel took place, with Vale outsmarting Jorge in the final corner, a point where no one had ever been overtaken before. The world championship remained open until the penultimate race, but in Malaysia it was Rossi who was crowned champion.
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Rossi and Lorenzo: memorable duels on the track
The consecration
In 2010, the duel between the two resumes, but Rossi injures his leg during the tests in Mugello and has to give up his title chances. Lorenzo takes flight in the championship, Stoner and Pedrosa can do little to stop him: he becomes champion in Malaysia and scores a new points record (383) in the world championship. We will have to wait until 2019 to see this record improved by Marc Marquez.
The duels with Stoner and Marquez
2011 was Stoner’s year, but in 2012 Jorge managed to win his second MotoGP world championship. The following year he took the duel with Marquez to the last race in Valencia, where he had to retire. 2014 was a transitional season, in 2015 he started slowly, but in the middle of the season he managed to score points on Rossi. Until Phillip Island the world championship was in the balance, in Sepang there was contact between Valentino and Marquez. Vale arrived in Valencia with 312 points against 305 of Jorge, but because of the penalty given by the jury for the events of the previous GP he had to start from the last grid position. Rossi climbed to fourth place, but Lorenzo won from pole position, with Marquez staying close without ever attacking him. On the podium in Ricardo Tormo it was a worldwide celebration for the Majorcan, with three Spaniards (Pedrosa third) who were rewarded by none other than the King of Spain, Juan Carlos.
Ducati, Honda and retirement
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At the beginning of 2016 Jorge announced his move to Ducati for the following season: 25 million euros in total, but also a bike that had not won a single race up to that point. Jorge took up the challenge, which however proved difficult. In 2016 Dovizioso and Iannone had managed to bring the Desmosedici to success, but when Jorge got on it in the post-championship tests he could not find his rhythm and had a very complicated start to the season. While Dovizioso became Marc Marquez’s biggest rival in the fight for the title, Lorenzo struggled to even reach the podium. 2018 started even worse than the previous season and before Mugello Ducati announced the appointment of Petrucci to replace Lorenzo. However, it was at the Italian Grand Prix that the Majorcan achieved his first victory in red, which he repeated two weeks later in Barcelona. Borgo Panigale and Lorenzo’s paths parted just as the story was getting underway: Jorge had signed a contract with Honda in the meantime, where he would form a dream team with Marc Marquez.
A disaster with Honda
The adventure in HRC turns out to be a complete disaster: Lorenzo is not yet physically fit after the injuries at the end of 2018 at Ducati, technically the bike is the furthest from his needs. Jorge would like to make the RC213V easier, but nobody at Honda listens to him: in the first 7 races of the year Marc dominates, but he does not manage to reach the top 10 even once. Given the current difficulties of the Japanese giant, his complaints no longer seem so misplaced.
In Assen, where he had broken his collarbone years earlier and had finished fifth 48 hours after the injury, he fell during training and suffered a broken vertebra. The doctors warned him about possible new injuries. The risk of possible paralysis was too much to bear; together with the bad results and a merciless comparison with Marquez, they led Lorenzo to choose retirement at the end of the season. Jorge said enough at 32, a choice he has never regretted: now he enjoys life without stress and occasionally works as a TV commentator, with competence and humor.
